“Maybe, but I’m driving in to talk to Mabel.” She nodded to the dessert case. “Box up a couple more of these cheesecake slices. Maybe that will get her to talk more freely.”
I put the cheesecake into boxes and rang up Darla’s purchase. She used the Examiner’s credit card. I guess she was on assignment with this one. Darla stood and swung her bag over her shoulder. “It’s just a shame. She reunites with her husband, and a few months later, he’s a widower. I guess true love doesn’t come with a guarantee. I wonder if Sadie knows yet?”
“Do not go see her.” Sadie was going to be seriously upset. The woman didn’t dislike anyone, so she’d had conflicting feelings about Kacey in the first place. The last thing she needed was Darla poking around into the reasons Austin had dumped Sadie to return to his wife. “I’ll stop over as soon as my shift’s done.”
“You may be too late by then. You know how gossip spreads in South Cove.” Darla didn’t meet my gaze, instead looking down at the box of cheesecakes. “You know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt Sadie, right?”
“Sorry, I didn’t think before I said that.” It was turning into a crap morning.
Darla nodded and left the shop. I’d hurt her feelings. One more thing on my list to fix. But first, I needed to make sure Sadie was okay.
The rest of my shift seemed to run in slow motion. By the time Toby arrived, I was itching to leave. He watched me pull off my apron and gather my purse as he started his day. “You on a mission?”
“It shows, huh?” I set my purse on the counter and put on my jacket. “I’m heading over to Sadie’s to make sure she’s all right. I just hope she hasn’t already heard the news.”
“I would think it would make her happy that her rival was out of the picture.” Toby slipped an apron over his head and tied it in the back.
“Don’t say that. You know Sadie, she doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.” Why was everyone convinced Sadie would be happy at the news?
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Love makes people crazy sometimes. If I were her, I’d be happy Austin’s new relationship didn’t work out. Just for the satisfaction.”
“Well, you’re not her.” I stormed out of the shop, letting the door shut a little too hard behind me. I felt furious that Toby thought Sadie would be enjoying someone’s death, but then as I walked to Sadie’s house, I began to think about the situation. If Toby, who I knew had a good heart, thought this, what were others saying?
Sadie Michaels’s house sat on Beal Street, a block away from the Methodist church. It was an old Victorian with that gingerbread trim all over. For being a single mom for so many years, the house looked well-tended, even if the paint was a bit faded. I knocked on the front door, but no one answered, so I went around to the garage she’d refurbished as her bakery and opened the door. “Sadie? Are you here?”
The smell of brownies hit me as soon as the door opened and my stomach growled. I hadn’t taken the time for breakfast, and now the sensory overload of baking chocolate almost did me in. Sadie was at a counter, pouring more ingredients into her oversized stand mixer. She waved me over. “Hold on a minute. I’ll get this started, then I’ll take a break.”
She hadn’t heard. I could tell by the way she hummed as the flour and cocoa drifted down into the brownie mix. As usual, my friend was dealing with her own issues the old-fashioned way, by baking.
Sadie pulled her gloves off, poured two cups of coffee from the pot on the cabinet, and met me at a small table in the corner. She pushed a file filled with paperwork to the side and closed her laptop. “What’s got you out on a Wednesday? Brownies will be ready any minute. You can taste-test my new recipe. Double chocolate with dark chocolate chips. They may just be too much chocolate.”
“That’s impossible.” I sipped my coffee slowly, not wanting to ruin my friend’s good mood. Chicken. I took a deep breath.
“It’s a great day. I guess Austin changed his mind about using my recipes for his new food truck.” Sadie pulled a loose-leaf notebook out from under her counter. “Look what I found on my front step today.”
I used a napkin to open the red cover. Sadie’s Marble Cheesecake was written on the first page, with ingredients scratched out and new ones added to make the final product gluten-free.
“You need to show this to Greg.”
Sadie laughed. “I don’t think Greg’s going to arrest Austin for conning a silly woman out of her best recipes. Besides, I’m done with that man. I had a long talk with Pastor Bill after Sunday service, and he helped me forgive Austin for his treachery.” She took the notebook back and slipped it under the counter again. “This is just God’s way of telling me the man is out of my life. Whatever punishment He has in store for Austin won’t be pretty.”